Teacher's Pet [IrishTimes]
- Published: 12 April 2011
Has there ever been a Minister for Education like Ruairí Quinn?
After only a month in his brief, the swashbuckling new minister has already generated more controversy than most of his predecessors managed during a full term in Marlborough St.
Here’s a reminder of how he has shaken things up.
- He has demanded that no less than 50 per cent of Catholic primary schools should be transferred to new patrons in a process which should begin in January 2012.
- He has questioned the amount of time spent on religious instruction and preparation for the sacraments in schools.
- He has described the recent OECD rankings as a wake-up call for Irish education. We have been “codding” ourselves in believing we have one of the best education systems in the world, he says.
- He has said the Leaving and Junior Cert exams are no longer fit for purpose. Junior Cert students he says, “go through this chicane, a kind of shrinking thing . . .where you are really relying on what you can remember rather than what you think.”
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
